TDG: Commands & Colors: Samurai Battles

[@workingmanmike]

Stickering blocks is preferable to painting those darned minis. I'll take the blocks anyday. Great review, many thanks!

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

Not a fan of painting, either. Danke!

[@juanc.3372]

i see this popping up all over the place lately ! looks good! love the command and colors system

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

Indeed. Great series of games.

[@StratfordWingRider]

Commands and Colors is excellent really. It has good pacing too, since there is only so much you can do on a turn. I love them all, the historical ones are most certainly my jam.

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

Great game series!

[@theicalvinist]

I love the giant table you guys are playing on!

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

Thanks. We’re at a game store.

[@polyfission2776]

That intro joke was on point

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

Ha!

[@Clappincardboard]

Really like the theme to this one and the dragon cards seem like a great twist!

[@codycarlsonph.d.5591]

Indeed. Great game!

[@elizabethlestrad5282]

Totally agree on the stickers. I caved on C & C due to it being one of the only samurai war games I could find and dang those stickers....

[@codycarlsonph.d.5591]

Ha! It's a small price to pay for such a great game!

[@elizabethlestrad5282]

@@codycarlsonph.d.5591 True, but an action point movement system would have been a lot better in terms of strategy.

[@MrSteveK1138]

True about Stickering Tedium....But the first edition had fragile minis, so I'm looking forward to Stickering

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

Indeed.

[@nerdfatha]

I missed this the first time around when it was the alternate rules in the Art of Tactic Samurai Battles miniatures game. I'm pretty stoked about this. I will actually have to finally get a GMT block game, lol.

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

Indeed.

[@ronmoron]

Thing is, I really enjoy the stickering. I do them unit type at a time, and while I'm doing it I'll go over all the stats for that unit and really get them in my head. I also lay out the finished blocks to get an idea of numbers for this unit. I much prefer having to do it over opening the box and they're all done. Sure, a bit like swimming in the sea it can seem unappealing before you start, but embrace the pain and dive in.

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

Ha! To each their own.

[@hanng1242]

I find it calming and I feel satisfied after I have stickered an entire set of blocks.

[@theicalvinist]

Same here. Stickering has never been as bad as I was lead to believe

[@ilqrd.6608]

I can’t relate at all

[@benstylus]

Great review. Thanks, Cody.

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

Thank you.

[@uscglen]

Another great review Cody! I really love this period of history and have been waiting for this one for awhile. I have a copy of the original game from Zvezda that used miniatures and I'm going to see if it'll work to transfer them to this version of the game (I agree that putting the stickers on is always the most tedious part of the Command and Colors games).

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

Thank you, sir. Glad you liked it.

[@GGdeTOURS37]

TY again Cody for your interesting videos and advices. OK not to disperse myself too much I sold all my C&C games and only kept CCN but it's true this one is very tempting. Well thank you for reminding us the time to spent pasting the stickers: I'll also pass for this one (but will run to play it with friends for sure if they ask me)!

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

I do hope you get a chance to play it. Great game!

[@reapingjoker4198]

One day, they'll have the stickers printed on the blocks, one day.

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

May your words ring true.

[@benmoeller2590]

Be the sticker Cody.

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

Never!

[@klausfritsch4350]

I have the earlier version, a cooperation of the author with ZVEZDA. No stickering there, but I had to glue together gazillions of minis. 40 scenarios, a real temptation to get this edition as well. And no, I do not know much about this part of history as well.

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

Interesting.

[@lukaswernig9721]

How would you rank the C&C games? Maybe you could do a short video? Would you include Memoir 44 and Battlelire etc in your ranking?

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

Yes, I've thought about doing a C&C ranking video, and perhaps I will down the line at some point. Thanks.

[@MrSteveK1138]

8:27 What a groan-worthy word crime joke

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

Ha!

[@ajlynch123]

I usually watch baseball while at stickering. Just slow enough to not miss anything while putting on stickers. Double sided blocks to sticker are just demoralizing though.

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

Indeed.

[@NullSpaceKid]

I love stickering

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

To each their own.

[@bergstro]

Stickering is my zen. I will sticker your games for you.

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

I wish we were neighbors.

[@conmacaodha5019]

Which do you prefer this or Napoleonics ?.

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

I still think I prefer Napoleonics, largely because of the theme. But this is probably the best one I've played since.

[@salmanqaisar7377]

Seems like a reskin of Battlelore 2nd edition? Honor tokens + Dragon cards seem like lore tokens + lore cards. Any other main differences?

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

You don't have to spend lore tokens when you retreat. Also, as I recall, you don't have the wild dice side with an order of operations like this one does.

[@twentysides]

Do you have any thoughts on the dragon/fortune here and the lore in Battlelore? Are the dragon cards as impactful as the lore cards can be? Does the tension of whether to keep or spend fortune add something that Battlelore lacks since the points are only for spending on powers?

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

As I say, whenever you retreat you must spend Honor & Fortune tokens or lost blocks. In adds an important and fun tension to the game and the decision of whether or not to spend the tokens on the Dragon cards.

[@wartable]

Have yet to play a C&C. Soon...looks interesting. How much additional would you pay to have blocks stickered?

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

I have no idea how much it would be to have blocks stickered. I've never thought of offering somebody money to do that.

[@slipcapone1466]

These look great but it is hard to jump into these when world war 2 is my jam and the Undaunted series is gold!

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

Undaunted is great, but C&C is a very different system. Have you played Memoir '44? It is the WWII version of C&C.

[@slipcapone1466]

@@TheDiscriminatingGamer Unfortunately no. I love the look of it but I am time poor so my 1 v 1 has been limited to Dice Throne, Shards of Infinity and Undaunted.

[@Elicurren]

I would like to see a civil war theme.

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

Battle Cry was the first Commands and Colors game, as I recall. Also, check out my review for Hold The Line: The American Civil War: www.boardgamegeek.com/video/320509/hold-line-american-civil-war/discriminating-gamer-hold-line-american-civil-war

[@Elicurren]

@@TheDiscriminatingGamer I'll give Hold The Line another look. Now I feel bad about the " civil war on the moon" commit.

[@NoeAnton]

I have been thinking about getting a copy of commands and colors but I don't know which one. Which one would you recommend buddy? Another great video! much love!

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

Thanks. Napoleonics is my favorite. I think Memoir '44 is perhaps the most accessible for new and younger players.

[@cirthador1453]

I wish I had the money to buy these things.

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

I hope someday you will.

[@cirthador1453]

@@TheDiscriminatingGamer Thanks!

[@Sadar21Osasuna]

Thanks for reviewing this! I love Napoleonics but as you mention, I dont connect with the theme :/

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

I hope you get a chance to play it. It is a great game.

[@hanng1242]

One of the cool things about this game, from a history standpoint, is that the samurai units use either bows or spears - not swords. The romanticization of the katana came after the sengoku jidai was over. The Tokugawa shogunate actually required samurai to wear two swords on them as a mark of their class, distinguishing them from peasants and merchants. Since the country was at peace, and the samurai were not busy fighting pitched battles against each other, mastery of what used to be a backup weapon was turned into a sort of art form.

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

Very interesting. Thanks.

[@Elicurren]

Looks good, but battlelore 2nd edition is still #1 IMO. I wish battlelore had "fog of war" like this one.

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

How do you mean, fog of war? Units are clearly seen by both players here.

[@Elicurren]

@@TheDiscriminatingGamer my mistake. I thought it was like Columbia Games.

[@varovaro1967]

I think the only missing is comands and colors Neanderthal.... a bit overdone.

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

Ha! They manage to keep it fresh with each new iteration.

[@jtbergstrom1336]

Darkest. Opening. Joke. Ever.

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

You don't watch the show much, do you?

[@jtbergstrom1336]

@@TheDiscriminatingGamer I mean, still funny. I'm not complaining.

[@viking114LPZD]

There is only one thing left to say. C&C has dice battles, but doesnt have any rerolls, so be ready for bullshit rolls.

[@TheDiscriminatingGamer]

I love bullshit rolls. They are the spice of life.